Set of 4 > SAMUEL KIRK & SON ~ STERLING SILVER 6\" BREAD HORS D\'OEUVRE PLATES 58
![Set of 4 > SAMUEL KIRK & SON ~ STERLING SILVER 6\](img-large/g/z80AAOxylpNTVxRm/s-l1600/Set-of-4-SAMUEL-KIRK-SON-STERLING-SILVER-6-BREAD-H.jpg "Set of 4 > SAMUEL KIRK & SON ~ STERLING SILVER 6\")
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Set of 4 > SAMUEL KIRK & SON ~ STERLING SILVER 6\" BREAD HORS D\'OEUVRE PLATES 58:
$211.38
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Set of 4 > SAMUEL KIRK & SON ~ STERLING SILVER 6\" BREAD HORS D\'OEUVRE PLATES 58
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THIS MONTH, WE ARE OFFERING MORE EXAMPLES OF FINE ANTIQUE RAILROAD ARTIFACTS FROM THE ESTATE OF SEVERAL ADVANCED COLLECTORS, INCLUDING MEMORABILIA FROM A NUMBER OF RAILROADS
PLEASE CHECK OUR OTHER items FOR MORE RAILROAD ARTIFACTS
Many people are fascinated by railroads. At one time, railroads were connected to most aspects of community and economic life, and almost everyone had the experience of taking the train to some distant destination. Today, railroads are still a vital part of the nation\'s commerce, but they have largely evolved into less publicly visible movers of freight. For the most part, the romance and glory of the great age of the railway has passed from the scene.
One way of remembering this bygone era is through collecting artifacts that have survived the years. Most RR lines were, and still are large enterprises requiring vast amounts of material and equipment to operate. While much of this material and equipment like locomotives, cars, buildings, etc. are \"collectible\" for only a small number of people and organizations with the resources to maintain them, smaller items like lanterns, china, paper, and locks are well within the reach of individual collectors. Therefore, many people seek out such items -- often called \"railroadiana\" -- at sales, garage sales, antique shows and \"collector RAILROAD EPHEMERA & MEMORABILIA
An immense amount of paper of various kinds was used by the railroads. Some examples: public timetables to inform passengers about train schedules, maps to advertise routes and attract freight business, employee timetables to inform crews about rules and operations, brochures to entice the public to tourist destinations served by a particular line, passes to allow guests and dignitaries free travel on trains, and many other types of paper. For paper items that were produced for the public, railroad companies gave a lot of attention to attractiveness and design. Some companies went so far as to commission artists to paint special artwork that was then reproduced on timetables, brochures, calendars, and other items. Even though some of this paper was produced in relatively large quantities, the fragile nature of paper combined with the tendency of most people to throw it away after use has resulted in some of it being rather rare.
Today, many collectors seek out this paper, some specializing in particular types such as timetables or passes. They appreciate it as an means of understanding how railroads operated many years ago, as a window on travel before the age of commercial aircraft, or as artistic examples of early public relations. In fact, railroad paper seems to have recently \"come of age\" as a collectible, and rare examples have begun to command impressive prices at sale. Still, more common examples of railroad paper remain one of the least expensive types of railroadiana, and many collectors have gotten their start in the hobby with OUTSTANDING SET OF -4- STERLING SILVER PLATES, FROM AN OLD NEW ORLEANS ESTATE, WITH BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA PROVENANCE, MEASURE 6\" IN DIAMETER, AND EACH WEIGHS 3.4 OUNCES ~ TOTAL 13.9 OUNCES. TYPICALLY, THESE ARE REFERRED TO AS BREAD PLATES, BUT THE PREVIOUS OWNER USED THESE FOR SERVING PARTY HORS D\'OEUVRES.
RATHER SIMPLISTIC IN DESIGN, HAVING A SLIGHTLY RAISED FLANGE RIM, WITH A RAISED RIM BORDER.
EACH IS FEATURES ENGRAVED LETTERING ON THE UNDERSIDE RIM READING S. KIRK & SON ~ STERLING ~ 58.
SOME LIGHT SCRATCHES, TYPICAL OF NORMAL USE ~ OTHERWISE, AS FOUND, IN FINE VINTAGE CONDITION, BEST CONFIRMED BY EXAMINING THE IMAGES OFFERED.
HISTORY OF SAMUEL KIRK & SON
Baltimore\'s prominent silver manufacturing company, Samuel Kirk & Son, dates its beginning to 1815 when Philadelphia-trained Samuel Kirk finished his apprenticeship under James Howell and moved to Baltimore. Attracted by the prosperous port, Kirk opened his shop at 212 Market Street (later known as 106 Baltimore Street) with fellow silversmith, John Smith. After the partnership was dissolved in 1821, Samuel Kirk carried on the business alone until his eldest son, Henry Child Kirk, became a partner in 1846.
During this early period Kirk introduced to America the repousse treatment for silverware. Repousse means formed in relief and refers to a pattern which is beaten or pressed up from the reverse side. Kirk\'s technique was probably inspired by East India silversmiths, but his patterns were uniquely his own. Eventually he applied this technique to flatware as well as other pieces.
The company prospered greatly. In 1820 Maria Hester Monroe, daughter of President James Monroe, was married in the White House. She chose Kirk Mayflower as her silverware pattern. During his 1824 tour of the United States, General Lafayette ordered a pair of goblets for his Baltimore host, David Williamson. Many of Maryland\'s prominent families, such as the Carrolls, the Ellicotts and the Ridgelys, were among Kirk\'s customers.
In 1861 and 1863, respectively, two more sons, Charles Douglas and Edwin Clarence Kirk, were admitted as partners, changing the firm\'s name to Samuel Kirk & Sons. The Civil War and its aftermath created an economic slump in the silver business causing Charles and Edwin to become discouraged. When they withdrew from the partnership, the firm reverted to the name Samuel Kirk & Son.
Samuel Kirk died in 1872 leaving the business to Henry Child Kirk. The firm\'s technology advanced as hand-wrought repousse methods were replaced by the use of cylindrical steel rolls and eventually flat steel dies. The repousse patterns were cut in reverse in a steel die, then stamped on the softer silver with a heavy drop hammer.
Following family tradition, Kirk\'s son, Henry Child Kirk, Jr., was admitted as a partner in 1890. Six years later (1896) the firm was incorporated with Henry Child Kirk, Sr., as president, William Higgins Conkling (Kirk\'s son-in-law) as vice-president, James F. H. Maginn as secretary and Frederick W. Kakel as treasurer.
Business continued to prosper as the firm\'s clientele spread beyond Maryland. Customers included the Belmonts, Astors and Roosevelts of New York; the Lowells, Peabodys and Adamses from Boston; the offerdles, Cadwalladers and Ingersolls from Philadelphia; and the Hamptons, Lees and Davises from the South.
The company suffered severe blows in 1903 and 1904 from two separate fires. At 9:30 AM on June 30, 1903 a fire ignited when gasoline leaking from a tank in the cellar came into contact with the furnace. Much stock and equipment in the workshop were lost but, fortunately, most of the business records and designs were saved.
The firm had barely recovered when the great Baltimore fire of 1904 struck on February 7. Again, vital records and patterns were saved by a quick arrangement between Henry Child Kirk, Jr. and the express company manager across the street. They used express wagons and Kirk employees to save the records of both businesses.
Samuel Kirk & Sons moved into temporary quarters at 309 N. Charles St. until a new building could be completed on the site of the one destroyed. The factory began operating again in May 1904 at Guilford and Girard Aves., then moved to the Baltimore St. building in June 1905. The retail store re-opened there in November.
The beginning of the twentieth century witnessed several changes in the company. In the nineteenth century business had been generated primarily by word of mouth as the founder felt that advertising was associated with commercialism. Placing the company into more modern times at their November 1911 meeting, the Board of Directors authorized spending $1,000 for advertising in the Baltimore newspapers. An additional $1,000 was approved for advertising in September 1912. Samuel Kirk & Son\'s first retail silverware catalog was produced in 1914 and their first national advertisements appeared in the October 1937 issues of House Beautiful and House and Garden.
In 1911 the company directors began discussing the concept of selling their goods at wholesale prices to authorized dealers, but it was not until 1915 that this method of national distribution began. Another innovation was the purchase in October 1913 of the firm\'s first automobile delivery wagon.
Henry Child Kirk, Sr. died in 1914 and left a deed of trust placing the business in the hands of five trustees. At the termination of the trust agreement in 1924, the company was reorganized as Samuel Kirk & Son, Incorporated with Henry Child Kirk, Jr. as president and treasurer, James F. H. Maginn as vice-president and assistant treasurer, William Higgins Conkling, Jr. (great-grandson of Samuel Kirk) as secretary, and Roderick Douglas Donaldson (grandson-in-law of Samuel Kirk), Martin Laurence Millspaugh (great-grandson of Samuel Kirk), and Charles Markell as directors. Robert E. Coughlan was elected a member of the board soon after.
In addition, the Kirk Realty Corporation was created in 1923 to manage the real estate concerns of the company. A lease was signed with Mano Swartz in October of that year for the four-story building under construction at Charles and Franklin Streets. Swartz agreed to make changes in the building (at Kirk\'s expense) to accommodate the new tenant\'s retail operations. At the same time, construction commenced on a new facility at Twenty-Fifth St. and Taylor St. (now Kirk Ave.) for the purpose of handling the wholesale and manufacturing divisions.
The Great Depression of the 1930\'s had its effect on all businesses including Samuel Kirk & Son, Inc. In spite of the poor economy, the number of agents selling Kirk silver continued to increase and several improvements were made to the factory. Kirk stock generally continued to pay quarterly dividends.
During World War II, Samuel Kirk & Son, Inc. became very involved with the war effort. The War Production Board closely regulated what and how much could be manufactured. Wages and work weeks were controlled. Silver bullion and other raw materials were rationed. In February 1942 Kirk received its first war contract from Liberty Motors and Engineering Corp. Other contracts followed with many companies including American Hammered Piston Ring, Standard Gas Equipment, and Western Electric for manufacturing surgical instruments, metal hardware or performing services such as silver soldering. Production and price controls remained in effect past World War II until the Korean conflict ended in 1953.
The prosperous post-war 1950\'s saw a shift of population to the suburbs and the rise of shopping centers. Following this trend, Samuel Kirk & Son, Inc. opened a branch store in Edmondson Village on June 2, 1953. A second branch opened in Towson, Md. on May 6, 1958. By the early 1960\'s, however, the retail division was lagging behind the wholesale operation. Kirk closed their three retail stores in January 1963, having arranged to lease retail space in three Stewart & Co. stores: downtown, York Road, and Reisterstown Road. The retail division of Kirk closed completely in 1975. The leases were allowed to expire at the Stewart & Co. outlets and the department store absorbed Kirk\'s retail functions into their own operations.
Late in 1966, S. Kirk Millspaugh, great-great-grandson of the founder, gained a controlling interest in the company by purchasing 80% of the outstanding shares of stock. The Kirk Corporation, as it became known, acted as a holding company which owned several subsidiaries including the original Samuel Kirk & Son, Inc. It began to diversify its interests by acquiring the Coastal Trailer Corporation in the late 1960\'s and Studebaker Southern, Inc., a Florida-based manufacturer of mobile homes, in 1969.
It was hoped that these companies would provide greater financial opportunities and help maintain overall financial stability during periods of fluctuating economic conditions. However, the anticipated advantages failed to materialize. There was little technical or management crossover between companies which resulted in differences in policies and objectives. A construction slump in 1974-1975 compounded the problem. Studebaker Southern, Inc. was terminated in 1972 and Coastal Trailer Corp. was sold off to its original owners in a 1975-1976 reorganization of the parent company.
Other acquisitions by the Kirk Corp. were more successful due to the similarity of their products: Eisenberg-Lozano, Inc. (an importer of silver plate, stainless and pewter holloware) in 1970 and A. L. Hanle, Inc. (a manufacturer of pewter holloware) in 1971. The name of the latter was changed to Kirk Pewter, Inc. in 1972 and Eisenberg-Lozano became Kirk International, Inc. in 1973. The Kirk Collection was established in 1972 for the production of limited edition collector\'s pieces. The following year it ceased to be a subsidiary and became a trade style of Samuel Kirk & Son, Inc.
In 1968 the Samuel Kirk Museum, Inc. was founded to display Kirk artifacts and develop educational programs on the silver, gold and pewter crafts. The collection was exhibited at the Peale Museum when in Baltimore, but was frequently on tour to art museums throughout the world.
By 1979 the Kirk Corporation found itself in difficult circumstances. The reorganization of 1976 had cost the company a $600,000 commercial loan which increased the company\'s interest charges and decreased the capital base available for current operations or expansions. The cost of the company\'s essential raw materials, silver and tin, began to skyrocket and the wildly speculative silver commodity market made it almost impossible to price Kirk\'s products to meet dealer orders. In addition, the company\'s manufacturing and office facilities had become severely cramped and a great deal of machinery and equipment needed to be replaced. The high cost of real estate, construction and machinery coupled with the company\'s reduced financial resources brought the matter to a head.
The Stieff Company, a Baltimore silver and pewter manufacturer since 1892, offered to purchase the assets of the Kirk Corporation. The two companies drew up a proposal which combined management personnel and allowed for the continued production of the Kirk line. The shareholders approved the merger on 10 October 1979 and a new company was born under the name of The Kirk Stieff Company.
COLLECTING ANTIQUE SILVERWARE
Old silver is intrinsically valuable for its metal alone, and intrinsically beautiful in its workmanship. Furthermore, the collecting of old silver, because of the system of hallmarks, may be reduced more nearly to an exact science than any other form of collecting.
In old furniture we look for style, age, and material, and in Georgian furniture for the maker; in old blue china the salient points are maker and pictorial subject; in silver we seek for the year of manufacture, style, and history, but, above all, for the individual beauty and usefulness of the piece. The value of old silver is real value.
The collection of old silver has been wide-spread for many years, but its popularity is increasing rapidly, and whether as a fad or a serious business, it is yearly gaining devotees who cannot be appealed to by any. other form of collecting.
In no other line can the collector afford to be more conservative. Not a single thing need be accepted merely because it is old; there are enough things that are both useful and beautiful to be had, and the old silver collection need not be large or comprehensive\' to be valuable.
There have been silversmiths and silverware for so long that there is silver in existence representing practically every period of history back to the deluge. The amateur collector might as well recognize first as last the immensity of the field he is starting out to delve in, and decide to work one corner of it thoroughly.
As a matter of fact, leaving out of consideration for the time being those enthusiasts who possess a personal hobby and recognize no other, the average householder in America to-day, if he is interested in such matters at all, is interested chiefly in the French, American, and English ware. I am told by dealers that old French silverware is becoming extremely popular for decorative purposes, and the ornate beauty and fine craftsmanship of some of this French silverware more than justify this popularity.
Americans would naturally be interested in American ware first, then English ware. The American ware should be the more interesting historically, except that the fascination of hall-marks is absent from it.One cannot determine the exact year of its make, though the maker\'s name is often given and serves as a clue. The American ware, moreover, is not as artistic in form nor as fine in workmanship as the English ware. It forms, nevertheless, an extremely interesting study, and considerable new light has of late been shed on it.
This interest was manifest at an exhibition of American silverware held at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in igo6. The pieces shown there were nearly all patterned more or less closely after the contemporaneous English styles. Only a few showed distinct Dutch influence.
The earliest American silversmith of note was John Hull of Boston. His partner was Robert Sanderson. They used a mark formed of their fnitials as early as 1659. Another early silversmith was Jeremiah Drummer, their apprentice. Another whose work was noteworthy was John Cony, who was followed by a number of others during the eighteenth century, whose work is well worth the study of such collectors as care to confine themselves to a somewhat restricted USE THE \"CONTACT SELLER\" FUNCTION TO CONTACT US AND RESOLVE ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE offerDING
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Set of 4 > SAMUEL KIRK & SON ~ STERLING SILVER 6\" BREAD HORS D\'OEUVRE PLATES 58:
$211.38